Getting mini to slow down before jumping

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Hello all.

I'm a fairly big man, and am working on training a mini to do jumps for horse shows. The problem is, the horse was trained previously to take jumps as fast as possible. While trying to slow her down, she out ran me and caused me to fall, injuring my knee. Can anyone give me tips to help slow her down? She stays at my pace while trotting and doing trail courses, it's really just jumping that she outruns me.
 
Hi, sorry about your knee, hope it is on the mend. Sounds like she is anticipating the jumps from excitement or maybe anxiety. What I would do is go back to the very basics. Put several poles on the ground and just walk over them at different speeds. Also practice halting in front of the pole, then walking over it. This will keep her mind from getting into the fast mode. Do this every day until walking over the poles becomes no big deal. After she can do that, repeat the exercises while trotting. When she can walk and trot over the poles quietly at the pace YOU set, then raise the pole up a few inches and do the whole thing over again at that height. Rinse and repeat :).

Also, what might help is if you can get the horse focused on moving off your body language. When you want her to slow down, lean your torso back as you ask her to slow down with the lead line. Praise her when she responds. Usually they catch on pretty quickly to that cue if you are consistent. Then when you are jumping her you can rate her speed by just bringing your upper body back. I learned this trick in showmanship but it comes in handy during other classes, too.
 
I wouldn't have thought about moving my torso, I'll definitely try that. The problem with consistency, is I can only volunteer there during the weekend. So only two days a week. I hadn't thought of going back to the basics, as she has had training, but that sounds like what I'll need to do. Thanks for the advice.

It only happened yesterday, so my knee is still quite bruised and swollen, but I don't think I broke anything. She was a good girl and just stood there until someone grabbed her, didn't try running or anything.
 
I bet two days a week would do it, it just might take a little longer. I had a in depth lesson in December with a mini who pulls on the lead when he gets a mind to. He is very strong and I am not! The woman who I take lessons from gave him a lesson and then I took over for a few minutes. Since then I have only worked with him inconsistently because of the weather and he has remembered his lesson and what he was taught. He would be slightly rusty to start out, but caught on with a gentle reminder or two. They are smart, too smart for their own good sometimes!
 
@Matthew B Thibault I sure hope your knee gets to feeling okay soon. I hope you iced it down soon after it happened. Nice that she stopped and waited for someone to get her.
 
I bet two days a week would do it, it just might take a little longer. I had a in depth lesson in December with a mini who pulls on the lead when he gets a mind to. He is very strong and I am not! The woman who I take lessons from gave him a lesson and then I took over for a few minutes. Since then I have only worked with him inconsistently because of the weather and he has remembered his lesson and what he was taught. He would be slightly rusty to start out, but caught on with a gentle reminder or two. They are smart, too smart for their own good sometimes!

That works great. Once I heal and get back to the barn, I'll start working on it then. I love horses, but they are far more headstrong than I ever thought before I started working with them. Haha

@Matthew B Thibault I sure hope your knee gets to feeling okay soon. I hope you iced it down soon after it happened. Nice that she stopped and waited for someone to get her.

The barn owner used to be a vet tech, so she immediately got me in the golf cart and brought me to the house. Light therapy and icing. The doctor said I may have torn the meniscus, though she was unsure, and I'm out of work for a week. This horse hasn't been used a lot since we got her, so I am super pumped she was good at stopping.
 
We have one that rushes because he LOVES to jump so much so we make him trot AROUND the jumps and then reward him for staying with the handler by allowing him to jump. It will take time, but this should eventually train him to stay with you. Hope your knee improves: I am in my 70's and pulled a hamstring 2 years ago training a different mini to jump (I was speeding her up after a refusal) and physical therapy helped a lot.
 
Cayuse do you think lunging the horse first to release some energy would also help him slow her down?
 
Good thought about the lunging! It might help to get the "sillys" out. I lunge mine sometimes so they can let loose and get it over with. It works great with one of them, but the other one slow pokes around conserving his energy to use when I least expect it :D.
 
We have one that rushes because he LOVES to jump so much so we make him trot AROUND the jumps and then reward him for staying with the handler by allowing him to jump. It will take time, but this should eventually train him to stay with you. Hope your knee improves: I am in my 70's and pulled a hamstring 2 years ago training a different mini to jump (I was speeding her up after a refusal) and physical therapy helped a lot.

Once I get back to the barn, that may be one I try as well. It's definitely a good idea. I'm glad you are feeling better after the pulled hamstring. The barn owner is 70, and even after needing a cast on her ankle, she was still out there daily. Walking around with a plastic bag over her cast.

Cayuse do you think lunging the horse first to release some energy would also help him slow her down?

Good thought about the lunging! It might help to get the "sillys" out. I lunge mine sometimes so they can let loose and get it over with. It works great with one of them, but the other one slow pokes around conserving his energy to use when I least expect it :D.

I know the basics of lunging, but my main horse doesnt lunge well with anyone, so it's not something I've successfully done. I'll have to have my friend run me through it again.
 

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